Robert E. Glazebrook Park also features other attractions through October, including a Jumping Pillow, tractor ride and hayride. The park regularly features a play area with a tunnel swing and soon a zip line, which will officially open next month.

Kevin Korinek|For The Telegraph

The Great Godfrey Maze celebrated its 17th season this weekend, opening with a ribbon-cutting and party Saturday at Robert E. Glazebrook Park. This year’s corn maze is cut out to resemble a birthday cake, balloons and a party hat to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the village of Godfrey. The maze is open every weekend through the end of October.

Kevin Korinek|For The Telegraph

GODFREY — It’s a huge relief for Great Godfrey Maze’s directionally-challenged visitors to know help is nearby.

“What if we get lost?” a little boy asked Abby Scarborough, an employee at the popular annual fall corn maze. “Don’t worry,” she explained, with a knowing laugh. “Just put up the orange flag and we’ll come find you.”

The Great Godfrey Maze celebrated its 17th season this weekend, opening with a ribbon-cutting and party Saturday at Robert E. Glazebrook Park. The maze now will be open every weekend through the end of October.

Godfrey has a doozy of a maze – seven acres of unharvested cornfield are utilized for the elaborate maze that has taken on many shapes over the years. If you were flying above the area in the past in a helicopter (or more modernly, a drone), you would have seen the likeness of cars, a portrait of Harry Potter, or last year the maze was carved into an image from the musical “Wicked.” This year though, the village of Godfrey Recreation Supervisor Jessica Wiedman described the theme as a little more celebratory.

“This season, we cut the corn maze out to resemble a birthday cake, balloons and a party hat in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the village of Godfrey,” she said.

If that’s not enough of a birthday surprise for residents, the party continued into Saturday evening with face-painting, cake, clowns and a free outdoor movie on a giant, inflatable screen. The event also was marked by town-founder “Benjamin Godfrey” making an appearance.

But if getting lost isn’t your thing, the park also features some new attractions, like the Jumping Pillow — a huge, colorful bouncy floor that parents and kids can enjoy together. Children also can take a tractor ride or a hayride around the park. The park features a play area with a tunnel swing and a zip line, which will officially open in October. Wiedman said the best thing about the park’s October season is seeing the excitement on the faces of everyone who solves the maze.

“We’ll have about 15,000 people come through the maze and I just love the community and the people,” she said. “You build a real relationship with them.”

For true thrill-seekers, October might be the best time to visit, as the maze gets the horror treatment just in time for the Halloween season. A lot of time and planning goes into the process, Wiedman noted.

“We will ‘haunt’ the back end of the maze with people dressed in costumes to give visitors a bit of a fright,” she said. “But the front of the maze stays the same, so if scary isn’t your thing, you can do the regular maze.”

The haunting of the maze consists of a claustrophobic tunnel and haunters who wear scary masks and wonder like zombies throughout the acreage. But be warned – it can get intense, even for people who work there.

“I don’t go through it. I don’t like being scared,” Wiedman admitted.

If you go, don’t forget your orange flag — you may need it.

Robert E. Glazebrook Park also features other attractions through October, including a Jumping Pillow, tractor ride and hayride. The park regularly features a play area with a tunnel swing and soon a zip line, which will officially open next month.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_1a-aaaaaacorn_9832.jpgRobert E. Glazebrook Park also features other attractions through October, including a Jumping Pillow, tractor ride and hayride. The park regularly features a play area with a tunnel swing and soon a zip line, which will officially open next month. Kevin Korinek|For The Telegraph

The Great Godfrey Maze celebrated its 17th season this weekend, opening with a ribbon-cutting and party Saturday at Robert E. Glazebrook Park. This year’s corn maze is cut out to resemble a birthday cake, balloons and a party hat to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the village of Godfrey. The maze is open every weekend through the end of October.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_1a-aaaaaacornIMG_9833.jpgThe Great Godfrey Maze celebrated its 17th season this weekend, opening with a ribbon-cutting and party Saturday at Robert E. Glazebrook Park. This year’s corn maze is cut out to resemble a birthday cake, balloons and a party hat to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the village of Godfrey. The maze is open every weekend through the end of October. Kevin Korinek|For The Telegraph

By Kevin Korinek

For The Telegraph

Kevin Korinek is a freelance reporter and photographer for the Telegraph.

Kevin Korinek is a freelance reporter and photographer for the Telegraph.